Used iPad 64Gb 3G versus New iPad2 16Gb wifi

[shrimpergarry]

Hi

I am being offered a secondhand (good condition with a Griffin case) first generation iPad 64Gb 3G for the same price as a brand new iPad2 16Gb wifi only model.

As I have never had an iPad, but have been coveting it for a long time, this seems like a good deal to me. I was thinking of waiting for the iPad3, but now think I might dip a toe in the water with the old one first.

I am attracted by the higher capacity and the 3G, I am mainly going to use it for watching films when travelling, and a laptop replacement for e-mails, internet and accessing documents when out on business (management consultant).

I know the first gen. iPad lacks a camera, but that really doesn't bother me at all. Are there any other disadvantages that I should consider before plunging in?

Thanks in anticipation of your advice from a long-time lurker in these forums!

 

[Lindenhurst]

Hi

I am being offered a secondhand (good condition with a Griffin case) first generation iPad 64Gb 3G for the same price as a brand new iPad2 16Gb wifi only model.

As I have never had an iPad, but have been coveting it for a long time, this seems like a good deal to me. I was thinking of waiting for the iPad3, but now think I might dip a toe in the water with the old one first.

I am attracted by the higher capacity and the 3G, I am mainly going to use it for watching films when travelling, and a laptop replacement for e-mails, internet and accessing documents when out on business (management consultant).

I know the first gen. iPad lacks a camera, but that really doesn't bother me at all. Are there any other disadvantages that I should consider before plunging in?

Thanks in anticipation of your advice from a long-time lurker in these forums!

As someone that has owned both generations of the iPad, I would probably recommend the smallest memory unit available. Youi can still load many movies on the 16gb unit, and I used my Mac to store all the movies I converted to digital, and only loaded the movies I would watch while traveling.
I would probably get the iPad 2 because it ran a bit faster, and my concern is that Apple eventually stops supporting older units, and I would hate to have an iPad 1 when a new IOS came out and I wasnt able to upgrade to it.

Either unit is a fine device, but I think you will enjoy the features of the iPad 2 over the iPad 1, especially the camera and FaceTime features.
Just my opinion.

 

[bufffilm]

have you looked at the apple store refurbished units to see what's available?

all refurbished units have a 1 yr warranty and are in 'factory new' condition. they have ipad1 32gb wifi models for $399 and for a limited time ipad1 32gb 3G models for the same price $399. they also have refurbished ipad2s.

that ipad1 64gb that you were offered isn't much of a deal at that price. as for whether to get an ipad1 or ipad2, unless you're really on a tight budget or plan to flip the ipad1 to fund an ipad3 purchase, imo getting an ipad1 isn't a good long-term decision. it'll be nearly two years old in 3-4 months which is quite long in terms of IT technology and is already showing some limitations on the hardware side and with iOS5 features.

 

[psonice]

I'd say the iPad 2 is a pretty big improvement on the 1. It's just a case of whether it's worth the extra money.

If you're going to use email/web/anything that needs internet when you're away, will you have wifi access where you need email? If not, you NEED 3g. If so, you have to compare against the 16gb 3g iPad 2.

As to storage capacity: 16gb is quite a bit, yes, but it depends what you'll put on it. If you play games, they can come in at around 1gb each for the more graphics-heavy titles. Music will eat up the space too. Movies will depend on how many you want to keep with you - if you want to take 10 you're going to need more than 16gb. A couple of films won't be such an issue.

 

[seeharrison]

I purchased the refurbished iPad 1 32GB + 3G for $399 from the Apple store. It suites my needs for what I do and I plan to flip it shortly after the iPad 3 comes out. Good luck with your decision!

 

[heyloo]

Definitely the iPad2. I'm a huge advocate for big storage space on the iPad but having used both iPad1 and iPad2, the performance difference is pretty significant. The difference between 64 and 16GB isn't enough to offset the performance difference in my opinion.